Traditionally, Raksha Bandhan is an occasion when sisters tie sacred threads, or rakhis, around the wrists of their brothers. These rakhis symbolize love, affection, and commitment to protect and care for one another. For HSS, Raksha Bandhan extends beyond the traditional brother-sister relationship, urging all members of society to embrace the responsibility of safeguarding their families and the wider community.

This year, HSS organized Raksha Bandhan celebrations in over 80 chapters across 20 states in the United States. Volunteers tied rakhis to various protectors of society, including police personnel, fire personnel, civic officials, and others who dedicate their lives to ensuring the safety and well-being of their communities. This gesture of appreciation and unity recognizes the sacrifices and dedication of those who work tirelessly to protect our society.

HSS volunteers also tied rakhis to faith leaders during this year’s Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. This event demonstrated HSS’s commitment to fostering harmony and understanding among diverse faith communities, promoting the idea that despite our religious and cultural differences, we share a common humanity and the duty to protect and nurture it.

Through these events, HSS reiterates its dedication to building a more harmonious and interconnected world where individuals from all walks of life come together to protect and nurture their shared humanity.

While appreciating on behalf of his team, Fire Chief James Blanchfield, Wilton, CT, said, “It’s nice when we get together for something like this. On behalf of all the emergency services here today, we thank you guys for coming out here and spending the day with us.”

“#UniversalOnenessDay serves as a reminder to reaffirm social and civic responsibilities in hopes to support and protect the community that we are part of. It was great speaking on the importance of #oneness. I also got to try Sesame Barfi, which was delicious! Thank you HSS for stopping by and celebrating!” are thoughts that Illinois State Senator Adriane Johnson, District 30, shared.

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In North Carolina, over 100 HSS volunteers walked in the 4th of July parade, a few playing traditional Hindu and American patriotic tunes on their band instruments. They were cheered by the onlooking crowds and welcomed warmly by the organizers. In Texas, HSS was recognized as “Friends of the Event” at a city-organized Independence Day fest. A group of teenage and adult volunteers of HSS also helped out the organizers at the town’s annual celebration with set up, crowd management, and cleaning afterward. In the San Jose area of California, HSS volunteer families participated in the “Red and White Parade.” Young children in ethnic outfits walked enthusiastically, holding the American flag and posters on Yoga and Spirituality. HSS USA designed these posters as part of Darshana – a traveling educational exhibition about the Hindu civilization.

HSS organizes youth and leadership development camps nationwide to train its volunteers each summer. Attendees of these camps, including trainers, trainees, and support staff, celebrated July 4th this year by hoisting the star-spangled banner and singing the national anthem. These celebrations occurred at multiple locations, from Indiana to Southern California and Washington State to upstate New York.

July 4th is also an important day for Hindus worldwide, as it marks the death anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, who introduced the West, especially the US, to Hindu philosophy and Yoga. He passed away on this day in the year 1902. HSS would like to remember the contributions of Swami Vivekananda, including his famous speech at the Parliament of World Religions, which is a source of inspiration for peace, harmony, and well-being of all people of the world.

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The U.S. celebrates the first week of May as “teachers appreciation week” and Tuesday of the same week as “National Teachers Day.” Hindu philosophy and culture consider the Guru the “Supreme Being” who invokes and sustains the light of knowledge while eliminating the darkness of ignorance. Our lives are touched and inspired by countless teachers in schools, colleges, and many other activities in which we excel. To acknowledge and appreciate these Gurus who silently shape our lives, during May and June 2023, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA (HSS) organized Guru Vandana events across the nation to honor teachers and their contribution to society. More than 1000 academicians, including teachers, principals, and superintendents from over 60 school districts, were appreciated during these events, attended by more than 6000 attendees comprising students, parents, and other invitees.

In a typical event, the children presented a cultural program where Sanskrit shlokas were recited, honoring the Guru. The shlokas focused on the significance of the Guru, comparing the Guru to God and pointing out the Guru’s role in achieving supreme knowledge. A local chief guest shared their thoughts with the audience, followed by a teacher appreciation ceremony.

This event included a cultural program at several places where children participated and presented their talent in classical dances, songs, and musical instruments. Darshana, a popular exhibition on Hindu Civilization developed by HSS volunteers, was held at several places. Young student members of HSS led the presentation at each Darshana poster and explained various facets of Hindu Dharma, Philosophy, Yoga, and other civilizational aspects. Some children developed innovative skits reflecting great personalities from India and the U.S. Some presented their training in Indian martial arts, Yoga, and other team activities. Some locations had game stalls and information stalls on various cultural and philosophical aspects. All these events were organized by local HSS centers and planned and coordinated by teenage children and their families. In some places, HSS collaborated with the local townships to involve the school district.

Teachers and attendees were impressed by students’ level of involvement in all age groups and how they respected their teachers. Some teachers especially enjoyed the Hindu way of performing aarti with kumkum on the forehead, offering flowers, and offering sweets, followed by bowing down in front of the teacher. School teachers especially appreciated this event. They acknowledged their passion and hard work and how this event introduced them to Hindu culture and its all-inclusive philosophy.

During their presentations or acting as event emcees, students liberally showered praise on their teachers by sharing how they learned math, English, dance, or something else and how teachers made them confident and independent thinkers.

Parents enjoyed the event and appreciated it, as it helped their children to participate, made them think about the importance of the Guru in their lives, and became an opportunity to interact with teachers and school representatives.

Following are some of the comments received by the attendees:

“I feel humbled by the love and respect shown by the Hindu community towards us. It’s heartwarming to see such appreciation and recognition for our work. I got to learn so much about Hindu Culture today,” – A school teacher from Wilton, CT.

“People are very involved in honoring our teachers, which I think is a fantastic endeavor,” – New Buffalo Grove Village, IL, President Eric Smith.

“It is important for the students to connect the modern subjects with the knowledge from their own culture. It leads to personalized learning for the students. I have taken pictures to reference back to them later.” – A social sciences teacher from the 6th grade from a Boston, MA, area school.

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Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS USA) initiated several social services, also known as Sewa activities, starting Earth Day with a series of cleanup events across the country. More than 120+ Volunteers from various HSS USA branches participated in planned environmental-related activities to protect the earth. Some of the highlights of the celebrations:

Various cities adopted roads, Highways across the US. As part of cleaning efforts, these chapters cleaned the roads, and highways. Following are the highlights of this year’s Earth Day Sewa activities.

* Adopt-A-Highway events in Naperville, IL, cleaned up about 4 miles of stretch of highway.

* Volunteers from Portland, OR cleaned up about 1-mile stretch of County Road.

* A Beach cleanup event was organized at Seal Beach, CA and about 30 HSS volunteers participated.

* HSS Volunteers helped in an annual spring trash off and cleanup event at Flowermound, TX.

* In New Jersey state, volunteers cleaned up parks as part of the earth day celebration. Additionally, HSS volunteers joined local Earth Day celebrations organized by Edison Health Department (NJ). Around 40 SS participated in this event.

* Branches of South Jersey chapter did a park clean up activity on April 15th to celebrate Earth day ! 16 KKs participated in this event.

Some of the HSS chapters also conducted other sewa activities:

* San Ramon, CA chapter organized a Blood donation camp and could donate 90 Units of blood.

* In Washington, HSS chapter organized a blood drive in Renton and about 31 Donors donated the blood.
Blood Donation camo at Dallas, TX partnering with other orgs.

HSS volunteers from Mountain House CA cleaned and planted a huge farming area in Amma Ashram in San Ramon, CA.

HSS Peoria chapter hosted its third annual book fair at Trewyn School offering more than 500 books.

Sewa activities is an integral part of HSS volunteerism. It helps HSS members to contribute to American society and help to get involved in selfless service.

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On February 22, 2023, Ohio State Senator by Niraj Antani appreciated Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) and its volunteers on the Senate floor for their social work and for organizing the “Darshana – A Glimpse into the Hindu Civilization” exhibition (Darshana) at the Ohio Statehouse rotunda. While reading the proclamation on this special occasion, he also appreciated the richness and diversity of Hindu culture and its contributions to the world. The exhibition and resolution are expected to impact positively, promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of Hinduism and strengthening cultural ties between communities.

The exhibition offered a platform to explore a wide range of topics such as Yoga, Ayurveda, Dharma, Mathematics, Architecture, Arts, Sciences, and the present-day global presence of Hinduism. This exhibition is part of the Hindu Dharma Awareness Campaign and is successfully being displayed and welcomed nationwide. In the last four months, from April 2022, over 200 events have been organized nationwide to educate political, civic, educational, and interfaith leaders about Hindu Dharma, another term for Hinduism. The event is open to all and provides glimpses into the Hindu way of life.

Several elected officials and their staff visited the Darshana and appreciated this awareness campaign. State Senator Stephanie Kunze representing the 16th district, enjoyed learning more about healthy eastern ways to care for the body through healthy eating, exercise, and meditation. People visiting the State House on business also took an opportunity to visit the exhibition and learn more. Tod Bowen, Managing Director of External Affairs and Government Relations at Ohio Restaurant Association, appreciated his interaction with students presenting Darshana and the information the exhibition provided about Hindu culture, contributions, and practices.

While thanking the Elected officials of the Ohio State Senate, Mr. Sitaram Koppaka, President of HSS for Ohio, said, “Our idea was to reach out to the local communities across the United States and to bring awareness about Hindu philosophy and culture that the fellow Hindus in their neighborhood practice.” In alignment with Mr. Koppaka’s comment, this exhibition has traveled in 165 cities across the United States since the spring of 2022. It was enthusiastically received by a broad audience, including federal, state, and local government officials, judges, educators, business leaders, and ethnic, religious, and interfaith groups. The exhibition also attracted broad public participation.

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ROCKAWAY, NJ, USA, January 17, 2023 /– On January 16th, 2023, ‘Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA, (HSS) Youths’ received the ‘2023 Service Above Self MLK Youth Leadership Award’ from Aurora (IL) Mayor Richard Irvin. This award was given to youth groups and youth leaders for their Community Service and efforts in promoting ‘Diversity-Equity-Inclusion’ (DEI). HSS Youth received this award for their food drives, highway cleanup, cultural education and, honoring of school teachers & first responders, and other service activities in 2022.

Since its inception in 1989, HSS has focused on inculcating its members to practice universal values of Hinduism, such as humanity, equality, inclusivity, and serving the needy in the society they belong to. Over the years, HSS, through its local chapters and members, has worked for society by conducting food drives, cleanup projects, health awareness events, tutoring, and helping people during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently with government authorities to conduct successful vaccination drives.

HSS youths that received the award observed that the award was only an acknowledgment of being part of the society and that, just like MLK said, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now,” and that serving society was more fulfilling than the award itself.

HSS volunteers at Roseville & Rocklin, California, celebrated MLK day with the local community and community leaders. They also helped the event organizers in the setup and cleanup. The youth chanted Hindu prayers for “peace for all and unity”, which were appreciated by the participants.

The Lewisville community in North Texas celebrated the 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This year the theme was “Living the Dream: It Takes a Team.” Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), a project of HSS, continued the partnership with the MLK committee of North Texas to co-sponsor and co-host the event this year in collaboration with the local school district. The event was attended by elected officials from 3 neighboring towns and the school district superintendent. This civic event is planned as a non-political inter-Faith event to celebrate the ideals of Dr. King, such as eliminating all forms of prejudice, equality of races, equality of gender, sustainable development, and international peace.

HSS Dallas team partnered with African American museum in a Realizing the Dream – Healthy Expo. The HSS volunteers conducted a few sessions of Yoga and SNY, explaining the simple breathing techniques, their benefits, and how they can be practiced. Many people attended and gave very positive feedback.

HSS member and volunteer Mr. J. R. Sandadi was invited by the Indiana Christian Leadership Conference (ICLC) to represent the Hindu community for the 54th MLK Day celebration service at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Sandadi, expressing his gratitude for Martin Luther King Jr., spoke on this occasion and offered a Hindu prayer of peace and unity for all. Sharing his experience, Mr. Sandadi quoted MLK, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” He further said, “MLK’s inspiration is not limited to a day, but is experienced all the time while serving the society.”

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ROCKAWAY, NJ, USA, January 6, 2023 — Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) announces the sixteenth annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon” or “Surya Namaskar Yajna” (SNY) event. This event will begin on January 14, 2023, and end on January 29, 2023. It is a nationwide event where participants across genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, and faiths enthusiastically join, thus making it a truly nationwide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) event.

Surya Namaskar is typically done to honor the Sun, and it is believed to have a number of physical and mental benefits. Suryanamaskar Yajna is a type of Yogathon involving the practice of Surya Namaskar, a series of 10 physical postures traditionally performed in sequence as a form of yoga. The practice of Surya Namaskar involves moving through a series of poses that flow together in a graceful, continuous sequence.

Since its inception in 2007, participants from 43 states have actively taken part in Yoga centers, community organizations, schools, and colleges. Regardless of individual faiths and beliefs, enthusiasts have participated and collectively performed over four million Surya Namaskars.

Acknowledging this community-wide health awareness program, community leaders and many elected officials across the nation have appreciated this initiative and encouraged their residents to participate and gain the benefits of an overall healthy lifestyle. Health for Humanity Yogathon has received numerous proclamations from American mayors, governors, US Congressmen, and US Senators. It was recognized as a part of Congressional records in 2017. Acknowledging the community benefits of this initiative, the Let’s Move initiative of then First Lady Michelle Obama declared HSS as a partner in 2012.

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This year’s Sewa Diwali saw active and spirited participation from Sikh Gurudwaras, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples, Yogic organizations, Interfaith organizations, Indian American cultural and linguistic associations, and thousands of families and individuals all over the land. Several dharmic organizations such as BAPS, Chinmaya Mission, Arya Samaj, and Sewa International collected food among their supporters.

Aimed at fostering togetherness and promoting the concept of Sewa (selfless giving), Sewa Diwali provides a platform for Dharmic and Indic communities to organize food drives during Diwali. Starting in October to mark the celebrations of Diwali, the Dharmic Festival of Lights, the drive runs through the end of November. Sewa Diwali extended to more than 200 Cities and towns in 2022, its fifth consecutive year. Since its inception in 2018, the Sewa Diwali project has donated close to 1.5 Million pounds of food nationwide.

Sewa plays a crucial role in an individual’s life from a dharmic tradition. For example, all dharmic communities believe in the principle ‘parōpakārārtham idam sharīram’ (Sanskrit: “broadly meaning a person lives to serve others selflessly”). Pam Bozano, the Site Director of Nobel Prep for the Boys and Girls Club at Stonybrook Middle School, IN, thanked SewaDiwali for its generous donation. She said, “There is a big food disparity in this community. So we are very grateful and appreciative that this donation benefits our kids and their families during the holiday season.”

The Plano Texas Police Department appreciated SewaDiwali in their Facebook posting: “It was a blessing to see the overwhelming participation from all corners of the DFW [Dallas-Fort Worth] area, with multiple communities and Hindu American organizations participating in this Sewa activity.” The Plano Police department worked with SewaDiwali to transport 27,892 lbs. of food at the North Texas Food Bank.

Sewa Diwali, National Coordinator Anil Kothari said, “In its fifth year now, SewaDiwali continues to bring people closer together for “universal good.” The enlightening spirit of Diwali shone forth to bring light into the lives of the needy, thanks to our benefactor partners, communities, and individuals all over the country! We’re delighted that Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and other Dharmic communities of America came together again to serve society through food donation.”

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Find more about the news coverage here.

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